Adam Pompey of the Warriors fends off James Schiller of the Knights to go in foe a try during the NRL Telstra Premiership, Warriors Vs Knights at the Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch. Photo: John Davidson/ Photosport
Try doubles to winger Adam Pompey and forward Jackson Ford have carried NZ Warriors to a 26-12 win over Newcastle Knights at Christchurch, securing their first Anzac Day victory since 2014.
Celebrating his 50th game for the Auckland club, Ford was initially named to start in the front row, but slipped back to the interchange bench in a late line-up shuffle from coach Andrew Webster.
The perceived demotion did not discourage him, as he scored back-to-back tries, after Pompey had the Warriors off to an ideal start. Referee Wyatt Raymond reduced the contest to 12 v 12, with early sin bins for Marata Niukore and Leo Thompson, while both sides also had two tries disallowed.
Reaching halftime 16-0 ahead, all three of the Warriors' first-half tries came from kick challenges, with Pompey particularly terrorising opposite James Schiller into errors.
Schiller narrowed the margin, when Knights centre Dane Gagai showed his pace and found his winger running support, but hopes of a comeback were short-lived.
Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf intercepted a Knights pass near his own goal-line and dashed the length of the field, before he was run down by opposite Fletcher Sharpe, but the Newcastle defence was slow retreating and hooker Wayde Egan darted over to put the game beyond reach.
The long run took the sting out of Metcalf, who spend the next 25 minutes cramping up, before eventually leaving the field in the dying moments.
He threw a loose pass in the build-up to Pompey's second try and the winger had to backtrack for the ball, before charging through a tired defence to score.
"We weren't clinical at all, we didn't play the way we wanted to, but we scrambled really well, hung in the fight and put some points on," said Warriors captain Mitch Barnett. "Just grateful to get the win."
The result propels the Warriors into second on the NRL table - for now - with their fifth win of the season, but a fifth consecutive win sess the Knights mired near the foot of the ladder.
See how the action unfolded on RNZ's live blog:
Team lists
Warriors: 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2 Taine Tuaupiki, 3 Rocco Berry, 4 Ali Leiataua, 5 Adam Pompey, 6 Chanel Harris- Tavita, 7 Luke Metcalf, 8 Jackson Ford, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Mitch Barnett (c), 11 Kurt Capewell, 12, Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark
Interchange: 14 Leka Halasima, 15 Bunty Afoa, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Jacob Laban
Knights: 1 Kalyn Ponga, 2 James Schiller, 3 Dane Gagai, 4 Bradman Best, 5 Greg Marzhew, 6 Fletcher Sharpe, 7 Tyson Gamble, 8 Tyson Frizell, 9 Phoenix Crossland, 10 Leo Thompson, 11 Dylan Lucas, 12, Kai Pearce-Paul, 13 Mat Croker
Interchange: 14 Jayden Brailey, 15 Tyrone Thompson, 16 Thomas Cant, 17 Brodie Jones
